The on-line museum of North America's independent department stores. The museum holds all sorts of information about classic department stores which either no longer exist, or are changed beyond recognition. A few of them are still with us, and provide an interesting connection to North America's retail past. The others are presented so that they may be properly remembered as a tangible part of the lives of their customers, shopping destinations where memories were often made.

28 comments:

Fun fact: After Herpolsheimer's closed, this building was remodeled into a mall in attempt to revive downtown shopping. After that failed, it was turned into a mall that targeted infants and young children. It's now a police station.

I found a very old beautiful little dish belonging to my great aunt. On the bottom it reads, "Decorated Expressley for Herpolsheimer Co. It has a number on it as 11. I am trying to read the artist. Something like Hodis or Hoelie. Do you have any idea of the who the artist could be.Thank you. Kathy

I loved this store when I was little. I remember I called it "Purplescheimers" because of the purple train. My favorite memories are of the fountain that shot up at different heights, the glass elevator, the food court, the cool train on the ceiling, and this really cool store called The Great Divide. Half of the store was U of M and the other half was MSU. Even the carpet was different on each side!

An old Hardy Hepolsheimer fur coat came into our thrift shop, I am wondering about value of the coat. Do you know anything about this, or do you have any references that I could maybe contact regarding the coat? Thanks!

The Wyoming store was acquired from Wurzburg's - and a picture can be found on that page. I am currently in early planning stages for a book about Grand Rapids department stores, which should come out in 2014 or 2015, and I am sure that will tell the whole story in detail.Bruce

While the train was pretty cool, my favorite memories are the huge blueberry muffins, they were the best I've ever eaten and the Christmas window displays. I remember so many walks along the outside of the building to look at those moving displays. I wish I could give those memories to my children and grandchildren. Those were such marvelous times.

BAK, do you know yet when your book will be released? I am definitely interested! :) I was born in '77 so Herpolsheimer's was before my time, but my parents have great memories of that place from when they were kids! I remember the City Center Mall from when I was a kid. I loved the train they had around the ceiling and I remember my mom telling me that she had ridden it too when it was Herpolsheimer's. I know the City Center wasn't as grand as the original store was, but I have good memories of that place anyway. I wish I could have seen Herpolsheimer's though when it was in its prime! I have never met anyone who did not love their memories of that store! It is such a shame that building was ever remodeled from its original mid-century modern design. Now it's just a big brick building housing the Grand Rapids Police Station! Not nearly as cool.

One more thing... have you ever done any research on Du Mez Department Store that was in Holland, MI? I'm not sure when it opened but it closed sometime in the 80's. I remember going there when I was a young child. Here is a link to a picture of what the building currently looks like. It now has other stores in its building.

Love this site and particularly the sections about Grand Rapids department stores. I work in entertainment and my production company is currently working on getting a Christmas movie made that is time travel. The main character steps back in time in to a department store in Grand Rapids, Michigan circa 1960's called Herpolburg's. A combination of Herpolsheimer's & Wurzburg's. Not only are we working on making a movie we are also looking to recreate the department store in the former public museum and also decorate the downtown area in vintage decorations as well. We then are going to open the set as an exhibit for the community to enjoy. One of the things we are doing is refurbishing the Herpolsheimer's train that hung from the ceiling that so many are talking about. The movie is titled "The Santa Hat" and co-stars Ed Asner (The Mary Tyler Moore Show & Up) and Marion Ross (Happy Days and Gilmore Girls) I would love to talk to you more about your research that you are doing for your book. You can learn more about what we are up to and how people can help out at www.TheSantaHat.com

Reading about old downtown Grand Rapids and the department stores, has brought back many wonderful memories. As a small child my Mom would take my twin sister and me shopping downtown to Herps, Wurzburg's, and Steketee's - (we would usually hide in the racks of clothing and not answer when she called our names). We would usually end up in Herpolsheimer's for there famous soft serve, malted milk, ice cream cones. That was before Dairy Queen and all the other soft serve places came about. The malted milk flavor soft serve was the best ever and I haven't seen it sold in any place other than Herp's. As a teenager we'd shop downtown and after high school, as an employee of Sentry Insurance, located on the 5th floor of the Keeler Bldg, I'd shop during my lunch hour and sometime after work. What a great experience. Something I'd love to have back again.

I remember a cupcake that was white or yellow filled with custard pudding. It had a very creamy white fluffy frosting with coconut all over it. I sure wish that someone would make this or please give out the recipe. I had a girl at a bakery at a store make one once it was pretty close but never was able to get that recipe either.

When I was a messenger for a local bank in 1979 I would deliver things to different places downtown. I wonder if anyone would know the lady's name that would wear everything the same color. I mean dress,shoes coat hat gloves etc. I only saw her a few times. She was always dressed so nice. I thought someone had told me that she worked somewhere downtown.

Having worked for other West Michigan Department Stores in the 60s and 70s like Gilmore Brothers and Roger's Department Store, I took up the task as Director of Visual Merchandising for the Herpolsheimer's City Center renovation in cooperation with Allied Stores, NYC, the new parent company, Gantos, DeVres Architects, and the National Historic Registry. Plans had already been drawn up and the project underway when I was hired in in late Fall of 1984 - the Christmas Shopping season. The decision was made to keep the store open during the massive reconstruction and all goods and services were moved to the basement store and foot traffic was directed away from the main entrance around to a relatively ovscure entrance on Fulton St. near the parking garage entrance. As excited as everyone seemed about the project, I could see it was domed from its inception. The new Herpolsheimer's was smaller by nearly one half and traditional stockrooms were non-existent. When I met with the buyers to share with them the amount of rack space they had for the next season's ready-to-wear, they were unaware that the Allied Store guidelines had upped the quality of goods in favor of quantity and selection. I was nearly beaten with the massive roll of blueprints by each and every one with whom I met. Not only did I have the responsibility of the new City Center, but there were other stores in Jackson, Battle Creek and others whose locations - one more decrepit than the next, escape my memory. One day I officially resigned after trying to explain that the furniture department at the Southland Store did not posses the physical space to accommodate a huge shipment of sofas, recliners and end tables. I realized at that moment I was dealing with a downward and desperate management trying to hold on to the Department Store's heydays back in the 40s, 50s and early 60s. I still think fondly of Gilmore Brothers in Kalamazoo including Irving Gilmore, Eliot DeMeyer, Personel Manager and Clarence Engel, Window Display Manager, my mentor and friend who gave me my first creative job in 1968.

About Me

Born in 1958 into an American family with deep Polish roots, I was encouraged at an early age to take education wherever I could get it. I was taken across the country as a child, by my first-generation American parents, to see the wonders of our continent, and several World's Fairs which my parents felt would be educational and fun for our family. All of these things have affected my life in so many ways since then. I achieved a couple of degrees in architecture, and attained licensure in 1990. My specialty in the field is creative design, for which I have received a number of awards and accolades. I am happily married for the second time. I experienced the sadness and pain of being a widower after my first wife passed away suddenly in 1996. I would not be telling the truth if I did not mention how central my Roman Catholic faith was in negotiating such a difficult time. It still is, in fact. I work for Fieldstone A&E and, my free time is spent, learning, researching, writing, cooking, traveling, taking photographs, ballroom dancing, and enjoying my relationship with my wife and family with whom I am extraordinarily close.